Master-Level Potions

By the time Abel met up with Norman, it was already getting late. The sun was beginning to dip westward, and it was time to leave Libo Town and return to Bennett Castle. Any later, and the road would no longer be safe.

Norman saw the box in Abel's hands but said nothing. He did not care what the young master had bought; his task was simply to ensure the young master's safety.

Abel had no choice, really. He had originally wanted to put the box into the Horadric Cube, but the cube recognized each potion bottle as taking up one slot. It could hold no more than ten potions, while the Town Portal Tome occupied two slots as well. He could only carry the box in his hands.

Nothing happened on the way back, and they returned safely to the castle. At that time, Knight Bennett and his eldest brother Zack were practicing horseback riding. Abel had chosen this time to return deliberately. Other than his eldest brother, neither his father nor mother would ask what he had bought. His parents strictly observed the code of nobility and respected every member of the family, including their secrets.

In this life, Abel had experienced another kind of familial affection. It differed from the love his parents had shown him on Earth. Parents on Earth wanted to be involved in nearly every aspect of their children's lives—their studies, their friends, their romances, and their marriages. They believed that if their children kept secrets from them, it meant they did not trust their parents.

But his parents in this life listened to Abel's wishes in nearly every important decision, even when those choices could drastically change his life. Just as when Abel chose to become a knight, Knight Bennett clearly understood how difficult the path of knighthood would be for the second son of the family, yet he still agreed to Abel's choice. It was a different kind of love. Abel cherished both kinds, and he felt fortunate to have received two different yet equally profound loves across his two lives.

After returning to his room, Abel impatiently opened the box. He took out one beginner Qi Condensing Potion and examined it carefully in the fading sunlight. White arcs of light flickered on and off as they curled around the bottle. Setting aside its other value, its appearance alone would have made it priceless on Earth.

Abel could not help sighing. Ever since he had seen the Town Portal Tome yesterday, he had begun thinking of his home on Earth from time to time, despite barely having thought of it during the past year.

He shook his head and forced himself not to dwell on such things. His experiment was what mattered most right now. If it succeeded, he would be able to grow stronger faster.

He took out three beginner Qi Condensing Potions and placed them into the Horadric Cube. With a nervous heart, he lightly pressed the synthesis button. The three beginner Qi Condensing Potions vanished in a flash of white light, replaced by one Qi Condensing Potion. Unlike the beginner Qi Condensing Potions, which were surrounded by flickering white arcs of light, this Qi Condensing Potion was surrounded by blue arcs.

It had worked. Abel's heartbeat quickened at that moment. This had to be an intermediate Qi Condensing Potion. Though he had never seen one before, he was already certain. The Horadric Cube's synthesis formulas could not be wrong.

I made twenty gold coins. The strange thought rose in Abel's mind, making him laugh. In terms of value, three beginner Qi Condensing Potions cost ten gold coins each, for a total of thirty gold coins, while one intermediate Qi Condensing Potion was worth fifty gold coins. Had he not earned twenty gold coins? Yet having such an odd thought arise at such a serious moment amused even him.

He placed another three beginner Qi Condensing Potions inside. At that moment, Abel felt as though he had become a Potion Master, professionally concocting medicine.

Well, although Abel was so excited that his thoughts were running wild, his hands never stopped. He continuously put beginner Qi Condensing Potions into the Horadric Cube for synthesis, then placed the completed intermediate Qi Condensing Potions on the table. Before long, fifty-four beginner Qi Condensing Potions had become eighteen intermediate Qi Condensing Potions.

Looking at the box full of beginner Qi Condensing Potions that had become eighteen intermediate Qi Condensing Potions neatly arranged on the table, Abel was extraordinarily excited. Even if he could not synthesize any higher-grade Qi Condensing Potions, he now had a means of surviving in this world. As long as he learned potion-making in the future, mass-producing intermediate Qi Condensing Potions and becoming a respected potion maker would be a fine choice. Of course, becoming a knight remained his first choice for now.

After calming himself, he picked up three intermediate Qi Condensing Potions from the table and placed them in the Horadric Cube. After pressing the synthesis button, nothing unexpected happened. The three intermediate Qi Condensing Potions disappeared in white light, and one Qi Condensing Potion appeared in a slot.

Golden arcs shimmered around this Qi Condensing Potion. Bathed in those enchanting golden arcs, it looked incomparably noble. This was an advanced Qi Condensing Potion. It was said that only Potion Masters could reliably make advanced potions. Advanced potion makers could make them as well, but just as Potion Masters could only produce master-level potions when inspiration struck, advanced potion makers could only make advanced Qi Condensing Potions in flashes of inspiration. Abel did not know the value of such an advanced Qi Condensing Potion, but he did know that there were not many Potion Masters in the duchy.

Next, the eighteen intermediate Qi Condensing Potions became six advanced Qi Condensing Potions. By then, Abel was completely certain that his idea had been right. Spending all the money he had to buy these potions had been the correct choice.

He placed another three advanced Qi Condensing Potions into the Horadric Cube and pressed the synthesis button. Just as in all the previous attempts, the three advanced Qi Condensing Potions vanished. In their place appeared a Qi Condensing Potion whose bottle was occasionally surrounded by flickering dark golden arcs. This was a master-level Qi Condensing Potion. Abel carefully picked it up with his fingers. The potion inside was no longer transparent like the beginner, intermediate, and advanced versions, but an amber-colored liquid. When gently shaken, it appeared somewhat viscous.

After another operation, Abel finally obtained two master-level Qi Condensing Potions. They were powerful potions with no side effects, the ultimate cultivation potions for Rookie Knights.

The question of how to use these two master-level Qi Condensing Potions now lay before Abel. He could not expose the Horadric Cube; it was the most important foundation for his survival in this world. He could slowly find opportunities to consume the master-level Qi Condensing Potions. Safety came first.

The more Abel learned about this world, the less safe he felt. On Earth, everything could be explained by science. But in this world, he had no way to explain the power of knights through Earth's science. Norman's injured leg had not been seriously hurt, but on Earth, injuries to the muscles and bones took a hundred days to heal. Here, however, a priest at a church had easily healed it with a low-level Divine Spell.

And Libo Town, where Abel lived, was only a small town. What unimaginable things might exist in the great cities, or in the capitals beyond those great cities?